BLANKS, DECKER COMBINE ON RARE EVENT

GLENDALE, Ariz. 
One of the beauties of spring training is plays that you seldom, if ever, see during the regular season.

Kyle Blanks scored from second Friday on a sacrifice fly to left field.

“I know I had never done it before because I’ve never seen that before,” the 6-foot-6, 265-pound Blanks said after he rambled home with the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh.

“I was running hard into third when I saw (third base coach Glenn) Hoffman waving me home,” continued Blanks. “I hadn’t really slowed and my angle was good ... I didn’t break stride or have to change my path.”

There’s a bit of an asterisk to the play. Dodgers left fielder Matt Angle fell after he caught the ball. But Blanks scored standing up.

“Kyle didn’t know the left fielder stumbled after the catch,” said Black. “But he was running hard and Glenn read it well, which made it happen.”

Jaff Decker hit the sacrifice fly and later capped a two-run ninth with an RBI double as the Padres defeated the Dodgers 7-5.

“I liked the way we swung the bats,” Black said of the Padres’ 14-hit attack. Chase Headley, Nick Hundley and Jonathan Galvez all had two hits. Half the Padres’ hits went for doubles, with Galvez stroking a double and a triple.

Garcia, Kelly split 5

Freddy Garcia and Casey Kelly, two of eight candidates for the final three spots in the rotation, split the game’s first five innings.

Garcia gave up three runs on four hits, two walks, a hit batter and a wild pitch while striking out three in 2 2/3 innings. Two of the strikeouts were back-to-back against Matt Kemp and Adrian Gonzalez with a runner in scoring position in the third. Garcia threw 56 pitches.

“Freddy’s secondary pitches got some good swing-throughs by a couple good hitters,” Black said of the third-inning work. “He’s still working on his fastball command.”

Kelly got the last out in the third and worked two more innings, allowing one run on a hit and a walk.

“Casey had good velocity and movement,” said Black. “I liked the up-tempo of his delivery.”

“I felt better about my fastball command,” said Kelly. “Even when I missed, I was missing down. With spring training being longer, I’m trying not to do too much too soon. But it’s tough to ease into competition. It’s different for everyone, trying to feel out where they are.”

After his spring debut Thursday, Jason Marquis said: “We’re playing too many games and it’s hard to tell where you are after preparing the same way for so many years.”

Cabrera honored

Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera, who drew a walk and doubled in three at-bats Friday, was the only major league player to travel to Kansas City in January to be honored during a fundraiser for the Negro Leagues Hall of Fame Museum.

“I don’t know why more players didn’t go,” said Cabrera, who received the base-running award as one of 10 players honored during the event. “That was sad. It’s a great place and I was honored to be invited for the first time. I think it’s important that baseball supports that special place.”

Notable

• Right-handed reliever Jason Ray, who was held back early with a sore arm, made his spring debut Friday and allowed a homer to C.J. Retherford in one inning.

• Right-hander Tim Stauffer said he felt great the morning after working his first inning of the spring. Stauffer is coming off surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his right elbow.

• Left fielder Carlos Quentin might appear in a spring training game as a designated hitter as soon as Wednesday.